The Saucier's Apprentice: One Long Strange Trip through the Great Cooking Schools of Europe [Hardcover]

Bob Spitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2008

The education of a barbarian in the temples of haute cuisine.

In the blink of an eye, Bob Spitz turned fifty, finished an eight-year book project and a fourteen-year marriage that left him nearly destitute, had his heart stolen and broken on the rebound, and sought salvation the only way he knew how. He fled to Europe, where he hopscotched among the finest cooking schools in pursuit of his dream. The urge to cook like a virtuoso, to unravel the mysteries of the process, had become an obsession.

Spitz hit the fabled cooking-school circuit in a series of idyllic European villages, and The Saucier's Apprentice is a chronicle of his exploits. Combining an outrageous travelogue with gastronomic lore, hands-on cooking instruction, hot-tempered chefs, local personalities, and a batch of memorable recipes, Spitz's odyssey recounts the transformation of a professional writer—and lifelong kitchen amateur—into a world-class cook.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Spitz (The Beatles) finds himself at a convergence of personal and professional crossroads, he finally decides to take a long anticipated trip to Europe to learn to cook, with an itinerary of placements across France and Italy that he hopes will bring a sense of soul into an earnest but uneducated attraction to braises and sautés. The trip begins with Spitz as the first and only trial client of the Robert Ash Cookery School in southern Burgundy, an experience that proves positive. With a soufflé, he saves the honor of the stern taskmistress at one school and he perfects his quenelles at another in Cannes. Although Spitz pins his culinary adventure to a personal story arc involving his on-again-off-again relationship with a woman in New York, this mixed grill of a book isn't quite as entertaining as it might have been. The author works hard at being earnest and honest about his personal shortcomings as well as his culinary misadventures, but one frequently gets the sense that he was more focused on cooking than life experience. With recipes and b&w photos. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Prompted by a midlife crisis of sorts, Spitz, music journalist and author of the best-selling The Beatles, flees to France and Italy to forget his troubles and pursue his dream to cook alongside master chefs. His chronicle has shades of an American-in-Europe travelog, best exemplified by such writers as M.F.K. Fisher, Frances Mayes, and Peter Mayle. Spitz's journey includes encounters with temperamental chefs and local personalities as well as subtle glimpses about him and his progress from amateur chef to seasoned cook. While his life story and culinary adventures and mishaps are mostly engaging, one wishes that Spitz would have revealed more of his personal transformation and less of his culinary exploits. Standard recipes and black-and-white photos are included in each chapter. Recommended for large public libraries.—Christine Holmes, San Jose State Univ. Lib., CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition edition (May 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393060594
• ISBN-13: 978-0393060591
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #992,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Whiney, self-important tour guide goes nowhere, October 4, 2008

By 

Kim Dannewitz "Soccer Mom" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Saucier's Apprentice: One Long Strange Trip through the Great Cooking Schools of Europe (Hardcover)

After just going on a 2 month tour through Europe at the age of 51, I thought this book would extend the pleasure of my trip. NOT! His whiney, self-important, self-centered view of every aspect of his trip really bugged me. Even his writing style: labored similes, over indulgent use of foreign words, expectation that everyone shares his world view just made it harder to get through. I kept waiting for the moment when he would learn some kind of life lesson and curb his infantile behavior. A little humility would have gone a long way.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I choked my way through it, August 4, 2008

By 

HDG "Hilary" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Saucier's Apprentice: One Long Strange Trip through the Great Cooking Schools of Europe (Hardcover)

Bob Spitz rambling account left me thinking that his time would have been better spent on an analyst's couch rather than at cooking schools. The author's narcissism is left unchecked and, therefore, he rarely accepts responsibility for his situation or poor attitude. I would gladly return the book and send the money directly to him for his therapy fund.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing, July 7, 2008

By 

Jeanette Locker (Avila Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Saucier's Apprentice: One Long Strange Trip through the Great Cooking Schools of Europe (Hardcover)

Knowing one of the people he cited, as well as her wonderful place, I found several instances of misinformation. We spent 2 weeks there - he spent 3 days. One wonders about the remainder of the book. Food/travel books are my favorite reads, and I have an extensive library to prove it. This one is not a keeper.